The Sickness 2
by speed killz
Summary: It's the sequel to 'The Sickness', but InuYasha isn't sick, and seems completely normal...for now.
1. Chapter 1

The Sickness 2

Two years later, and InuYasha and Kagome, Sango and Miroku, and Shippou and Kirara were all alive and doing well. They all had grown immensely stronger, and InuYasha had actually developed a sense of what was right, and what was wrong, although he tried to hide it. He tried to minimize the affection he showed for Kagome in public, but it was obvious the two had grown closer, from their experience two years ago, and InuYasha almost dying on them.

They were currently walking through a village, and they were far from their home base, Kaede's village. The well that Kagome used to go to her time was a good 5 days away, if they were lucky. Six was a more accurate number. The last time Kagome was home was almost a month ago. It was sad to say, but Kagome didn't feel the need to run home anymore. It was obvious that she was so far behind in school that she should stop trying altogether, and she barely knew her friends anymore. She had gone home about three weeks ago, and she didn't even recognise her friends. One of them had gotten a hair cut, another had dyed their hair, and her other friend had gotten contacts, totally changing her face from the dissappearance of the glasses. Not only were the changes physical, they were also mental. They now had nothing in common, nothing to talk about. She sighed, her friends in her time mere memories. It was the here and now that really mattered to her. As for her mother and brother, they all knew that Kagome would have to leave the house eventually, she couldn't live with her parents forever. They just didn't expect her to go somewhere so far away, so remote. They couldn't call her, e-mail her, or fax her. She was totally cut off from the future, and she had to admit that she was loving the old lifestyle. Besides the constant demon slaying, there was so much peace here, that she just couldn't get back home. Kagome looked up at the boy at her side, and smiled at him, getting a mixed reaction. Part of him wanted to smile back at her, the other part wanted to glare at her and tell her to stop being such a cheerful person.

Instead, he said nothing, just looked away. Kagome knew what was going on, and didn't take offense to it.

Sango and Miroku were a few steps behind, and they walked together, shoulder to shoulder. Miroku had curbed the groping, and Sango had stopped the slapping. Miroku occaisionally felt the urge to grope, but he tried to suppress it. When it got too strong, and he copped a feel, Sango was only too happy to deliver the ritual slap. The whole group had gotten closer, and the stiff friendships between Sango and InuYasha, and Miroku and Kagome, they had been deepened, memories made, feelings hurt and apologies accepted. Sango's Hiraikotsu had recieved a tiny bit of modding, and now all the cutting edges of the bone had a deep inset sharp blade. The blades protruded about an inch out, and were razor sharp. Miroku's staff had stayed the same, and he still used sacred sutras. InuYasha's sword was still transforming, and occaisionally InuYasha would be surprised by an energy spike, a temporary raise in the swords power. Kagome had bought back a compound bow from her time, and she used it often, finding that it had way more power, accuracy, and durability. She could fold it up, for easy carrying, and it would take metal, or wooden bows. As well as the bow being different, her spiritual power had grown, and Miroku was getting nervous. Her power was overflowing her body, and whenever he was in close range to her, he often found it hard to have perverted thoughts. Any time he did, he would immediately get a stomach ache, until he moved away from the young girl. It was nothing though, for he would gladly sacrifice his perverted thoughts for the amazing healing powers she had. She could now direct her energy into small wounds, and they would heal quite quickly.

They had not had a single fight in days, and their skills were getting rusty, so they decided to go just outside the village, and pratice a bit. InuYasha, Sango, and Miroku had a three way battle, while Kagome played in the archery field, improving her accuracy all the while. She could faintly hear the laughter from InuYasha, the groans of frustration from Miroku, and the curses from Sango as InuYasha evaded all their weapons. But, on the other hand, Sango was too fast for InuYasha to hit with his big slow sword, and Miroku's staff easily guarded against the sword, letting Miroku sneak in a kick or two. InuYasha was always looking for ways to improve his speed and agility, but for now, he was stuck doing laps around the village, for his stamina. He couldn't think of a way to increase his agility. He figured that he was quick enough to dodge anything out there. Then Kouga came to mind, and he grimaced. The damn wolf was still alive, still had the shards, and had added another member to his clique. Ayame had been added to Ginta and Hakkaku, but InuYasha didn't mind. She helped him regulate Kouga's attempts to get Kagome. He actually admired her. Kouga was paying absolutely no attention to her, yet she was still faithful, still stayed with him, worried about him, fought by his side. He grinned to himself as he parried a blow from Miroku, and ducking as Sango's Hiraikotsu came spinning toward his head, metal blades removed, for safetys sake. He was actually really lucky to have someone like Kagome, and he really appreciated her. He laughed again, and raised his sword high above his head, bringing it down with all his strength, forcing Miroku to back up, or be sliced in two.

Suddenly, he saw Sango come into the side of his vision, and he saw her foot come up. Quickly, he took his left hand off his hilt, still making sure that Miroku didn't try anything while he was distracted with Sango. Using his left hand, he grabed her foot, and a look of surprise came over her face. He threw her away, and she landed on her back, knocking the wind out of her. Miroku tried to counter, and swept his staff under InuYasha's sword, attacking his legs. InuYasha jumped and slashed his sword down diagonally, from the top right to the bottom left, narrowly missing Miroku. Suddenly, out of nowhere, sutras came slicing through the air toward him. InuYasha knew how much Miroku's sutras hurt, and he desperately tried to block it with his sword. They latched onto the swords broad surface, and started to go to work. InuYasha's sword was still a demon blade,after all, and the sutras started working on the sword. InuYasha could feel the sutras burning right through the sword, down the hilt, and into his hands. He hurriedly dropped his sword, the palms of his hands already bright red. He held his hands up in front of him, ready for any attack Miroku could throw at him.

Then a burning pain in his back made him swing around. Sango was there with her katana drawn, grinning.

"I'm not out of it yet, InuYasha." She said. Miroku hurriedly swiped his staff along InuYasha's back, opening up another cut. InuYasha spun halfway around, so he could watch both of them. His head turned to Sango; she froze, katana raised. He looked to Miroku; Miroku stopped moving forward, his hand in his robes. Back to Sango, she had her katana raised slightly higher, and was a few steps closer. Miroku; hand almost withdrawn, staff at the ready. InuYasha knew he would have to judge this carefully. He saw Sango's muscles tensing beneath her tight slayer suit, and he knew. He glanced at Miroku, and saw his body trembling, anxious to attack. Then they both started toward him, and InuYasha waited. Sango's sword came slicing toward him, Miroku had thrown three sutras, and his staff was already whipping through the air, InuYasha his target. InuYasha gathered the strength in his legs, and jumped, leaning forward. He tucked his knees, knowing that the initial jump he did would make them aim upwards, thinking that he had jumped straight up. He spun around, front flipping, and slammed into the ground on his back, laughing as Sango's sword sliced through Miroku's shoulder and Miroku's sutras dissolved harmlessly on Sango. His staff, however, had been originally thrust at InuYasha, but now his staff had cut through Sango's side, ripping her uniform.

InuYasha pushed down on the ground beside his head, and whipped his legs up, then down toward the ground. The momentum flipped him back up onto his feet, and he pushed them both away.

"Good try, someday you two will get me." He said, smirking arrogantly. Sango withdrew her sword from Miroku, and examined him, then herself, the cut on her hip not that bad. Miroku picked up his staff, for he had dropped it, and they all walked back to the village, too tired and hurt to continue. Kagome could be seen, firing arrow after arrow, always practising, always improving. InuYasha called her name, and waved to her when she turned. They saw her gather up her stuff, and run toward them. InuYasha sheathed his sword as she ran into his arms, hugging him.

"Hey InuYasha!" She said. "How'd it go?" She asked.

InuYasha smirked. "I won, again." He said. Kagome looked at his hands as he gripped her hand, and she gasped as she noticed the burn marks. "Miroku got you, didn't he?" She asked. InuYasha shrugged. "Eh, sorta."

She giggled and carressed his hand softly. "I think I can take care of this." She said. They continued walking toward the village, getting to their rented hut a few minutes later. With the lack of demons around, Miroku was hesitant to try his 'Exorcism' to gain a free room in the nicest house in the village. He didn't want that act to wear too thin too quickly.

InuYasha sat down, and Kagome took a look at his hands. InuYasha didn't want to admit it, but he was absolutely in love with this girl who had left her family and friends behind, just for him. She was always caring, even when he was a total jackass, and he hated himself for it. And now, she was bent over his hands, touching them softly, a gentle smile on her face. She reached into her bag, and withdrew a moisturizer cream, knowing that the major part of taking medicine was that if you believed something would heal you, then it would. She told InuYasha that this was from her time, and would heal almost every type of burn. InuYasha, confused, asked her a question.

"I thought there were no demons in your time, Kagome?"

Kagome struggled to come up with an answer as she smoothed the cream into InuYasha's burnt hands.

"Well, we don't have demons, but we still do have monks, and lots of people that practise the ancient arts. The arts that you guys practise now, it'll be ancient in 500 years time." She said.

"Burns from spiritual power still does happen," She said, lying through her teeth. "So just concentrate on feeling it sink into your skin, and feel it heal." InuYasha stared at his hands for a second, and nodded. "I think something is happening..."

Kagome nodded. "Great!"

Sango knew what the stuff was, for they had been bathing in a hot spring, and had come across it, and Kagome had told her what it was. Sango smiled at Kagome, and said nothing about it.

"Umm, Kagome, you might wanna check his back, I think I cut him there, as well as Miroku." She said, somewhat apologetically. Kagome told InuYasha to take his shirt off, and he refused, saying he was fine.

"I said, take it off, you might have serious wounds on your back!" She said, getting angry. She wondered why he had to be difficult about stuff like this. Sometimes he was really cooperative, other times, he would fight with her on every detail until she was forced to use the word. She sighed as he gripped the folds of his haori firmly, refusing to take it off.

"Sssssssiiiiiiiiii..." The haori came off faster than that time they had made out in the hot spring. She blushed at the memory, and told him to turn around. She 'tsked' at the two cuts on his back, forming a crooked 'X'.

Kagome placed her hands on his back, feeling the blood coat her fingers. She would normally bandage him, but going from his waist to his chest, all around his body was a lot of bandage, and she didn't have that much. She closed her eyes, and immediately felt the power rising up inside her. She thought about the cuts on InuYasha's back, and imagined the power flowing from her to InuYasha, and the cuts sealing up. A few seconds later, she felt the cuts beneath her fingers fading. She kept going for a few seconds, just to make sure, before opening her eyes, cutting off the flow of power. She looked at the blood on her fingers, and briefly wondered how it could contain both a humans DNA and a demons DNA. It looked the same as all the other blood she had seen, and thought it was rediculous that InuYasha was slandered because of who he was and what was in his blood. She wiped her hands off, and asked Sango if she needed anything. Sango shook her head, saying that she had already taken care of the tiny cut on her hip. Kagome turned to Miroku, and innocently asked him if he needed anything. An evil grin came over his face, and he started taking off his robes.

"Wellll, now that you mention it, you could give me a--"_KLUNK!!_

Miroku dropped as Sango picked her shoulder armor piece up off the floor, where it had landed after colliding with Miroku's head. She shook her head, and turned to Kagome.

"He has an injured shoulder, but I'll take care of it, he might get some ideas with you, and try something." She said. "I don't mnd hitting the fool if he tries anything with me, so I'll take care of him." She said, dragging him away, into another room.

Kagome grinned, and nodded. "Okay Sango." She said. She looked around for InuYasha, and saw that he was sitting against the wall. She walked over, and sat beside him. She leaned on his shoulder, and InuYasha put his arm around her. They stayed like that for a few minutes, before InuYasha spoke.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

Kagome looked at him. "Huh?"

"I mean, Naraku died two years ago, I thought you would leave when he was killed." He said. He looked at her, serious. "Are you ever going to leave?"

Kagome shook her head. "Naraku might be dead, but there's still all the demons with the rest of the Jewel Shards, we only have about half of them." She said.

"And after that, maybe we can finally settle down, and live here for awhile." She said. "Start up our own village. Whatever we do, our journey is far from over, InuYasha."

She hugged him tightly. "You don't have to worry about me leaving, ever." She said. Inside, InuYasha was immensely relieved. It was a question that had been weighing on his mind forever. And now she had just told him that she was never going to leave. He grinned, satisfied with her answer, and started wondering what the future held.

"Oh my God, why do you do these perverted things?" Sango asked softly, undoing Miroku's robes. She slid them down to his waist, and examined where her sword had pierced his skin. It wasn't too bad, for she had pulled the sword out the same way it had gone in, not slashing up, or down, cutting him to pieces. She grabbed a roll of bandage, and wrapped it up, keeping her eyes on the wound, and no where else. She knew that Miroku was probably planning something perverted, and she was ready to lash out at him. She looked up, to see what kind of expression he had, and she almost fell over. For once, he wasn't looking like he was planning something, or having bad thoughts. His eyes were calm, half closed as he looked down at her, and his face was serious. She blushed, and looked down, not wanting to see how his purple eyes shone in the light, or how cute he looked when he wasn't being a fool. She realized that her fingers were carressing his shoulder, for the wound was already wrapped, probably had been for a few minutes now. She pulled away, and turned around, not wanting him to see her face.

"Ah, Sango, what's wrong?" He said, leaning over her, his chin on her shoulder. She felt compelled to elbow him in that cute face of his, but he hadn't touched her yet, so she had no reason. She stayed facing forward, her head bowed, not wanting him to see the blush that decorated her cheeks, or the emotion in her eyes. She heard his robes rustling as he moved, and she figured that he was going to grope her, for he had a perfect opportunity. Instead, he tentatively put his arm around her shoulder. She froze, thinking that he would manage to 'slip' and get in a feel or two. But he didn't. Instead, he started whispering in her ear.

"Sango, just tell me you want me to stop messing around, and I will. I'll be yours, all yours to do with me as you will." He said, playfully. Sango's eyes widened, and she felt her face heating up again.

"Uh, um, no, that's alright, not right now, that wouldn't be any fun." She said. "Then I wouldn't have a reason to hit you." She said.

Miroku laughed, but inside, he was hurt, thinking that she had just turned him down. He cursed himself for screwing around, thinking that it was what had messed up his shot to be with Sango.

"I understand." He said, getting up.

"Thank you for taking care of my shoulder." He said, walking away. Sango wondered why he would just leave like that. And his voice. It was slightly different. Just a tiny bit more emotionless. She would have to ask Kagome about it later.

InuYasha kissed Kagome, and she giggled. InuYasha pushed her down on the floor, and kissed her throat, growling softly. Kagome moaned and kissed him on the mouth. She giggled as his hands sought out her hips, and she kissed him again. Just then, Miroku came out, and they immediately got up, moving apart. Miroku grinned lecherously.

"Oh no, don't let me inturrupt, just continue as if I wasn't even here." He said. InuYasha shook his head.

"Ah-no." He said. Kagome, really looking forward to it, sighed and placed her head on InuYasha's shoulder. He put his arm around her, and pulled her close to him. InuYasha started whispering in her ear, and Kagome nodded. They got up, and Kagome took his hand, walking out the door. Miroku knew where they were going. There was a hot spring not too far away, and they were probably headed there. A few minutes later, Sango came out, and sat down, staring at the tiny controlled fire that burned in the middle of the floor of the hut. Sango could feel Miroku watching her, and she knew that something was really different with him. She got up, and grabbed her katana, walking out the door, saying that she was going to take a bath. Miroku nodded, then remembered that Kagome and InuYasha had taken off. He didn't know for sure that that's where they were going, but he figured that he had better warn Sango anyway. He got up, and ran out the door, glancing around. Sango was nowhere to be found, and he sighed.

"Whatever..." He said, walking back inside. At least Sango would get to see some action, he thought wryly.

InuYasha led Kagome into the water, and kissed her deeply. They were both naked, and in the middle of the hot spring. InuYasha dived under the water, and opened his eyes. He kissed Kagome on the stomach, making her giggle. He grabbed her ankles, and pulled her underwater, kissing her. They stayed underneath for about twenty seconds, before they came up for breath. Kagome put her arms around her dog demon, and kissed him again, slowly this time, feeling his tongue slide past hers and into her mouth. She moaned, and ran her fingers through InuYasha's wet hair, feeling his hands slide down her back. She felt him grab her ass, and pull her into him. She could feel his erection against her thigh, and she blushed deeply as InuYasha leaned down to lick and suck on her breasts.

Sango walked through the forest, her mind on Miroku. She was starting to figure it out, without Kagome's help. She had a deep feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. She was starting to think that Miroku had been asking her out, not just asking her if she wanted him to stop screwing around and groping every girl he saw. She had a feeling that she had just turned down the one boy that she had wanted to ask her out. She groaned, and stepped over a bush, coming into a clearing. She paused as she saw two figures in the middle of the hot spring, and she gasped when she saw that it was InuYasha and Kagome. She hurriedly dived behind a tree, and hit the ground, crawling toward the edge. She knew that she shouldn't be spying, that she was as bad as Miroku, but she couldn't help it. He face rapidly went red as she spotted a few things she shouldn't.

"Oh my," She said. "He _is_ big!"

A few moans reached her ears, and she could feel her arousal increasing.

"I wonder what _that_ feels like..."

She continued to watch the pair, Kagome's pants and little screams clearly audible. A few minutes later, Sango's eyes widened.

"I didn't know you could do it like _that!!_"

She watched, face bright red, as she learned stuff that she didn't know about before. She watched until they orgasmed, then, as they started kissing and cuddling, she forgot her bath, and decided to head back. She crept away, heading back to the village, her mind filled with what she had just saw. Once she got back, she sat down in a corner, unable to forget what she had just winessed. She shook her head, wishing that she had someone to love her like that. She blushed again as her eyes landed on MIroku, who was leaning against the opposite wall, head bowed in thought. Sango finally shook her head clean of the dirty thoughts and things she had seen, making a mental note to ask Kagome about it later. Her arousal had faded, but it wasn't easy. Every time she thought about InuYasha and Kagome, her arousal returned, and her body craved to be touched like Kagome was by InuYasha. She was totally jealous of Kagome right now, but she wasn't the kind to ruin a friendship over something like jealousy. Kagome was still her friend, even though she had a cute, affectionate lover, and she didn't.

A half hour later, InuYasha and Kagome were back, and they both looked happy, tired, and satisfied. Sango wanted to get Kagome by herself and ask her some questions, but Kagome was nestled deeply in InuYasha's arms. Soon they were both asleep, and Sango sighed. Tomorrow then, she would get some answers to her questions about Miroku, and about Kagome's relationship with InuYasha. She looked at InuYasha, sleeping peacefully, and the memory of what he was doing to Kagome back at the hot spring flashed through her mind, making her blush deeply. Then she groaned. Was she going to do this every time she looked at InuYasha?

She laid down, and tried to sleep. Tomorrow she would have some answers.

The next day...

"Kagome!" Sango said, waving at her friend as she stepped out of the hut. Kagome turned, and InuYasha stopped, waiting for her. Sango hesitated, then walked up to Kagome.

"Can I talk you for a minute?" She asked. Kagome nodded. "Sure." She said. She told InuYasha that she would be right back, and left him sitting on the path, as she walked off with Sango. They walked down over to the hut, and sat on the steps, InuYasha about forty feet away.

"Umm, I've...sorta got a problem..." Sango said, looking down at her feet. Kagome sat a bit closer to the demon slayer. "What is it?" She asked gently. Sango looked off into the distance, trying to put her thoughts into words.

"Umm, I think that Miroku might have asked me out, and I think I might have said no." She said. Kagome was confused. "You think??" She asked. "What did he say, then what did you say?"

Sango told her.

Kagome shook her head. "Yeah, that sounds about right, damn." She said. She looked at Sango. "That's why Miroku was acting weird the last little while." She said. She put her hand on Sango's shoulder. "You gotta go apologize to him, Sango." She said.

Sango looked at her.

"Okay, I'll try to find a way to approach the subject." She said.

Kagome shook her head. "No, not try. You will." She said.

Sango nodded, wanting her to forget about it. Then she remembered her other question.

"Umm, I have one other question." She said softly. Kagome wondered what it could be this time. "Yeah?" She asked, afraid to hear the question.

Sango looked around, then raised her head to see InuYasha laying on his back, staring up at the sky. Sango got up, and pulled Kagome away, even further.

She stopped behind another house, out of the range of InuYasha's hearing and sight. Sango could feel her face heating up as she prepared to ask her question.

"Uh, what kind of relationship do you have with InuYasha?" She blurted out, before she could chicken out. Not expecting that kind of question, Kagome was caught off guard.

"InuYasha? Oh, well, I like him and all..." She said. Sango grinned despite herself. "What you two were doing at that hot spring tells me that you are a bit beyond the word 'like'." She said. Kagome froze.

"Uh, you seen that, huh?" She said, her face heating up. No longer able to look her friend in the eye, she looked at the ground. "What were you doing, spying on us?" She asked defensively, trying to change the subject. Sango shook her head.

"Nope, I was going to take a bath, but then I found you two having a bit of fun." She said. Kagome groaned. "Oh God, wait until I tell InuYasha what you were doing." Kagome said, grinning evilly. "He will go crazy on you. Besides," She said. "It was a hell of a lot more than 'a bit of fun'." She said. "It was a whole lotta fun."

Sango, not hearing her friends last sentance, started to go pale.

"NO, you can't tell him, I can barely look at him as it is without thinking of that, imagine if he knew, everything would be awkward!" She said. Kagome grinned.

"Alright, I won't tell him, don't worry about it." She said.

A few seconds passed between them in silence.

"He's nice, eh?" Kagome asked. Sango nodded.

"Oh yeah..." She said, deep in thought. Her head came up, and her face flushed as she realized what she said. "I mean! Damn! Sorry!" She said. Kagome laughed.

"Ha! You _were_ checking him out the whole time you were watching!" Kagome said. "Wait till I tell him that!"

Sango clutched her friends arm. "NO! Don't! Please!" She said. "I swear, I wasn't!" Kagome nodded.

"Mhmm, I believe you." She said, sarcastically. She watched Sango sweat for a few minutes, before putting her arm around her.

"Don't worry about it, Sango, I won't tell him, nothing will happen, It's all good." She said.

"Tell me what?" A voice asked. They looked up, in the direction of the voice, and saw InuYasha sitting on top of the roof. Sango yelped and hid behind Kagome, who shrugged.

"Sango was watching us make out." She said. Sango gasped, and started pounding on Kagome's back.

"You liar, you said you wouldn't tell him!!"

Kagome looked over her shoulder at her. "Yeah, but that's before he heard us." She said. "And if I didn't tell him, he would hound us day and night until we told him." She said. Sango didn't take her eyes off her feet. She knew that InuYasha was probably really pissed off right now. A few minutes of silence passed. She was still crouched behind Kagome, and she could feel InuYasha's eyes upon her.

Finally, InuYasha started laughing. Surprised, Sango looked up at him. InuYasha shook his head.

"So? Who cares? What a big, dangerous secret!" He said. "If that's how she gets off, then who gives a damn?" He said. "Come on, stop screwing around, we gotta get to the next village before sunset tonight." He said. "It's already almost noon."

InuYasha jumped off the roof, probably to go find Miroku. Sango felt the strength dissappear from her legs, and she fell down onto her bum. She didn't bother getting up. She felt horrible. First, she turned down Miroku, then she accidentally saw InuYasha and Kagome, then she tries to get some advice, then InuYasha finds out, and instead of being mad, he dismisses it. She felt the tears running down her cheeks. She knew what would probably happen next.

InuYasha would probably stop talking to her, and their relationship was getting along just fine. He would probably think she was just a pervert who got her kicks watching people make out. Then he would go and tell Miroku, and she would have no hope of getting him.

Kagome helped her friend up. Sango let herself be helped up, feeling like telling Kagome off. But she knew the she didn't need to lose a good friend on top of everything else.

"Sango, I know what you're thinking, and it won't happen." She said. "InuYasha isn't like that, he won't tell Miroku, InuYasha knows that it was probably just an accident, and besides, that's private information, he respects your privacy enough to not tell eveyone he sees." She said. "He's changed a lot from the moody dog demon he once was, and even back then, he would know better." Kagome said. Sango knew this was all true, and knew that she shouldn't have doubted InuYasha. She figured that she could go find him, and talk to him.

She walked back to the groups hut, and went inside, waiting for InuYasha to return. She didn't have to wait long.

InuYasha jumped through the trees, thinking that Kagome had consoled Sango by now. He grinned as he thought of Kagome saying that Sango had saw them make out. He didn't care. He had spoken the truth. If she wanted to, she could watch all she wanted, it didn't affect him. But he knew deep down what had gone on. He wasn't so out of it that his sharp ears couldn't hear her stumble over the branches and then hit the ground after she had seen them. His nose wasn't so weak that he couldn't smell her unique scent as soon as she walked into the forest clearing, or when her scent had changed due to her arousal. They oughta give him more credit, he thought. He did have some advantages to being half-demon. He smiled again, heading toward the village.

It was still fun to tease Sango, she was like the little sister he never had. He would always take care of her, and the rest of his group, for sure, but Sango had managed to worn her way deeper into his heart than any of his companions. Except Kagome, his lover. But Sango, he could talk to about anything, she had been through it all.

He could talk weapons and tactics all day to her, and she would understand, and enjoy the conversation. He could talk to her about various demons, and their weak points, and have her respond intelligently. And for the very rare days his defense was down, he could talk to her about his mother, and have her respond about her brother, and what it was like to live as a family, before Naraku got to them. Kohaku was still missing, two years after Naraku's defeat. He obviously wasn't under Naraku's spell anymore, so he must have just started travelling, doing his own thing. InuYasha felt for her. After hunting down Naraku for so long, she was deprived of the revenge she had seeked, instead running as InuYasha headed for the battlefield alone. She had quickly forgiven him, just glad that Naraku was dead. Then, after that, another two years went by, and not a sign of Kohaku.

But Sango was strong, and wouldn't take no pity. So instead of pitying her, he admired her. And he became her best male friend. Or so she said. He still remembered the night Sango had almost given up. It was a year and a half ago, six or seven months after the killing of Naraku. Sango had been searching desperately for Kohaku, day after day, eating little, worried sick. InuYasha would often hear her wake up in the middle of the night, crying and calling his name. InuYasha, out of respect, pretended to be asleep. After she got under contol, she would go out, probably to look for him, and wouldn't return till dawn. She kept doing this, for a month, before she finally collapsed.

Kagome was in her time, and Miroku was out hunting for some women, and Sango just passed out. InuYasha found out later that she hadn't slept in three and a half days, and hadn't eaten much at all. InuYasha remembered catching her as her body gave out. So he stayed with her. Miroku had gotten lucky, and hadn't come home that night. So when InuYasha got tired, he laid down beside her, not even thinking anything about it, and it had started his whole friendship. Sango had awoken during the night, and InuYasha, sleeping light, had woken up too. He remembered throwing wood on the dwindling fire, and asking if she was alright. She had said yes, and thanked him for taking care of her. He was still stupid back then, and had gotten embarrassed. He told her that he wouldn't have had to take care of her if she wasn't so stupid, and starving herself. She had said nothing, and had gotten up. Still dizzy, she started to fall, and InuYasha leapt up, scared that she would hit her head and pass out again. He caught her, and called her an idiot.

He had taken her over to the wall, and had leaned against it, pulling her into his lap. He told her that no matter how much she struggled, he wasn't going to let go until she got some food into her, and a bit of water. Sango, not feeling hungry and still worried over Kohaku, had refused to eat. She had taken little sips from a water bottle she had gotten from Kagome, but that was it. True to his word, InuYasha had put his arms around her waist, and hadn't let go. Sango had struggled a bit at the start, but her strength was quickly gone. She had stopped a few minutes later, and just laid on InuYasha's chest. After a while, she started talking, not even knowing if InuYasha was listening. She couldn't see his face, so she didn't even know if he was awake. She continued talking, about Kohaku, how she had been looking for him all those nights she had left, about how she felt, and what it was like when they were all a family. When she had finished, she had sat in his lap for a few minutes, thinking that he was probably asleep. She was surprised when he said, 'Is that all?' in that ironic, sarcastic tone of his. He had actually cared, and stayed up to listen to her. She realized that she had been talking for almost four hours, and it was starting to get light out. With everything off her chest, she turned as much as she could in InuYasha's arms, and smiled at him.

"I think I'm ready to eat something now, InuYasha." She said, and InuYasha had let her go. They had made some breakfast, and ate it together, side by side. After breakfast, Sango was tired from being up half the night, talking. She had given InuYasha an awkward hug, whispered her thanks in his ear, and had crawled under the blankets to sleep for another six hours.

InuYasha burst out of the forest, and headed for the hut, intent on talking to Sango. He opened the door, and she looked up at him, from where she was sitting against the wall. InuYasha walked over, and sat beside her, a foot away. Sango opened her mouth to apologize, and InuYasha shook his head.

"Don't wanna hear any 'sorry's or 'I didn't mean it'." He said. Sango closed her mouth, and smiled. However soft he had gotten with Kagome, he was still rough around the edges with her. And that was okay. She started to speak again.

"You probably already know what happened, so I'm not even going to try." She said. "But, can you tell me something?"

InuYasha nodded. "What?"

"Do you think I have a chance with Miroku?" She asked. InuYasha laughed harshly. At first, Sango was insulted, until she heard his next words.

"Have a chance with him? More like, does Miroku have a chance with _you_?" He asked. "He better start hoping hard that you like him, or he will never get you. You could have him if you wanted Sango, just go for it." He said. He wasn't the touchy-feely type, so he put an edge of annoyance into his voice.

"Just go ask him, or he'll be taken by some random whore off the streets." He said, dismissing the issue. Sango smiled at him.

"You've grown a lot, InuYasha, this arrogant, annoyed response is way better than what I would have got two years ago." She said. InuYasha looked away.

"Yeah, just don't go making this feelings stuff a habit to talk about." He said.

Sango nodded. "Alright." She said. A few seconds of silence passed between them. "So..."

InuYasha looked at her. "What?"

"Your absolutely sure that you understand that I wasn't peeking on you on purpose, right?"

InuYasha groaned. "Yes, I don't care, I know it was an accident, can we drop it?" He asked. Sango nodded, happy with the answer she got.

"Yeah, it's dropped." She said.

InuYasha nodded. "Thank you." He said. Another spell of silence, then InuYasha spoke up.

"So...how much did you see, exactly?"

Sango grinned. "Oh, who wanted to drop it?" She asked. Then she turned serious, and felt the blush heating up her cheeks and the back of her neck.

"Enough." She said. "I saw enough." InuYasha blushed, and looked away. "Oh."

"Yeah."

More silence.

"Anyway, let's go, we absolutely have to make it to the next village on time, before dark." He said, standing up. Sango, confused for a minute, thought about what was in the next village, then realised it.

"Okay." She said. "Let's find Kagome and Miroku, and get to the next village double time." She said.

Kagome sat down beside Miroku, and sighed, dipping her feet in the cool water of the stream that ran by. They were in the forest and Kagome figured that she had better find out what was wrong with Miroku, and quick, because they had to leave soon. She looked sideways at Miroku, and saw him playing with the beads on his wrist, that concealed his Wind Tunnel.

"Hey, what's been wrong with you lately?" Kagome asked. "You been feeling sick, or something?"

Miroku sighed. "No, not sick." He said, and would not give up any more information than that.

Kagome groaned and figured that she would have to bring it up.

"Is it that thing with Sango?" She asked, boldly. Miroku's eyes widened, and he looked at her.

"What would make you say something like that?" He asked. Then he caught himself. "What thing are you referring to, Lady Kagome?"

Kagome shrugged, dipping her fingers into the cool water.

"Oh, nothing, just a little thing where you asked her if she wanted you to stay devoted, and she gave you a less than satisfactory answer." She said. "That thing."

Miroku, at a loss for words, merely shrugged in response.

Kagome looked at him. "You know she didn't mean it the way it sounded." She said. "Right now, she's talking to InuYasha, trying to find a way to repair what she's done." She said. "Help her out, say you understand, then ask her again, in clearer tones. No more joking, 'I'll be all yours for you to do with me as you will' and stuff. Just come out and say it, I want to be yours, and she'll fold like a deck of cards." Kagome said. She checked her watch, then stood up. She shook her feet, letting the warm summer air dry them a bit, and then slipped into her socks. She slapped Miroku on the shoulder as she walked away.

"Think about it!" She called, over her shoulder. "It'll make her the happiest girl in the world."

InuYasha helped Sango up, and let go off her hand. He looked out the door, and saw Kagome walking toward them. He silently hoped that she was successful in rousing Miroku. She smiled at him, and hugged him. InuYasha asked her how it was, and Kagome looked at Sango.

"Mmm, touchy." She said. "Chance he might not." She looked at InuYasha, refusing to say anymore in front of Sango. InuYasha nodded, understanding her.

"Okay, let's get the hell outta here!" He said, seeing Miroku heading toward them from the forest where Kagome had appeared moments ago. Sango, having no clue as to what they were talking about, shrugged, glancing at the monk. She was too slow, and didn't look away fast enough as he looked toward her. Their eyes met, and Sango was about to look away, when Miroku smiled at her. She blinked, and looked at him again, wondering if she had imagined it. He had already turned away though, and she sighed.

They made good time, and walked into the village just a few minutes before the sun was due to set. The said sun cast golden rays out over the group as they walked down the middle of the village, their shadows stretching out far behind them. InuYasha was relieved that they had made the deadline, and he became more relaxed as they wandered through the village, checking weapons stores and getting food. The warriors of the village walked about, swords ready, and InuYasha decided that this would be a good place to spend the night as a human. At least his friends would be protected. They eventually found a place to stay, and they lugged all the stuff they had bought into the well built house. The sliding rice-paper doors could be slid back into the walls, allowing for the whole house to be one big room, or slid across, to divide the house into into four rooms.

InuYasha and Kagome agreed that they would share one, and Sango and Miroku weren't on the best of terms, so they would have separate rooms. Not that she would share with him anyway, Sango thought, making up her bed. She had bought a few more tiny silver razor sharp blades, loving them as a last defense. They had saved her more than once, and if the enemy wasn't close, then they could be thrown. They flew very well, and were perfectly balanced, double cutting edged knives. The biggest one she had bought was about six inches long, and the smallest was about an inch and a half. She sat down on her makeshift bed of blankets and cloth, and started making a holster for all the new blades. It had to work with her slayer uniform, so she was designing a series of simple knife holders. She would have four of the smallest blades in a holder around her left ankle, flush against the skin, and the 3 medium sized blades would go on the right side thigh, the holster holding the blades just under the tiny hilt. The large six inch blade would slide into a combat knife holder that Kagome had given her. It would be positioned around her waist, with the knife horizontal across her back. She had quick access to all the blades, and was very skilled in using them.

Miroku wondered how he could get to Sango and ask her out again. She was staying silent and locked up in her room, the screen drawn tightly across the dividing line. Miroku sighed, and continued cleaning his staff. It was full of fingerprints, dried blood, dirt, and it had lost it's shine. He wiped it off with a damp rag, and inspected it for cracks. Finding none, he took an oiled cloth, and started rubbing the handle, over and over again until it shone brightly. He then moved up, and concentrated on the rings and head of the staff, making sure to get every part. After that was done, he set it against a wall to dry, so the oil would soak into the staff, and not stay on the surface, making it slip out of his hands whenever he tried to attack.

InuYasha and Kagome were waiting. Outside, the sun was just dissappearing over the tops of the mountains, and darkness was beginning to fall, covering everything in it's enveloping mist. A few minutes later, the sun was gone, and streaks of black appeared at the roots of InuYasha's hair, racing downward toward the tips. His puppy ears shrunk back into his head, and human ears formed, just below where the puppy ears were. His fangs shrunk, and his eyes changed from gold to violet. His nails shrunk, and Kagome stared at him, facinated by the changes that seemed to flow smoothly from one object to another, or some things appearing out of nothing, like his human ears. Kagome sat by his side, and asked him if he was going to stay up all night. InuYasha clutched his useless rusty old Tetsusuigua, and nodded.

"The only thing for me to do is wait, until morning comes again, and I get my strength back." He said. Kagome put her hand on his chest.

"Power isn't everything, InuYasha." She said. InuYasha looked at her, then looked around.

"Wanna know the real reason I can't wait until I turn back?" He asked, in a whisper. Kagome nodded. "Why?"

InuYasha grinned. "Because I can use my nose to tell me when you're aroused, then I can POUNCE!" He yelled, jumping on her and pinning her down. Kagome blushed and giggled.

"Well," She said slyly. "You don't need your nose tonight. Just ask real nice, and maybe I'll give up some information." She said, staring up at her temporarily black-haired, puppy dog earless, fangless lover.

InuYasha leaned down, and kissed her on the mouth.

"Hmm, I see." He said, stroking her stomach. He kissed her throat, and licked her ear.

"Aroused yet?" He asked, his hands traversing over her body. She actually was, but she tried not to show it.

"Mmm, not really." She said. "Your kinda boring me." She said. InuYasha tried to growl, purely on reflex, but it came out as a deep rumbling sound in his throat, making Kagome giggle.

"Maybe if you went a bit lower with those hands of yours..." She hinted, sliding her hands around his neck and kissing him.

InuYasha complied, and earned a loud moan. After she moaned, she covered her mouth, and looked around, hoping that Miroku and Sango didn't hear it. InuYasha gently pried her hand away, and kissed her.

"Who cares how much noise you make?" He asked. "The louder you scream, the better I'm doing." He said. Kagome laughed.

"Oh really?" She said. "Well, then, make me scream, InuYasha." She said, kissing him again.

End of Chapter 1.


	2. It beginsor does it?

The Sickness 2 Ch. 2

InuYasha sighed, and leaned against the tree, thinking about that night so long ago. Two whole years ago, he had fought his heart out, and at the time he didn't even know if he would survive to see the end of the battle. He wondered what had happened that night, sometimes, and today was like that. He wished that he could understand what went on, and why. All he knew was that he had taken part in the biggest battle of his life, and killed more demons than he could count. He had wondered what would happen to Death, and as people around him had kept dying long after the battle had been over, he assumed that Death had gone on living normally for the last two years. He had long ago expected Kaede to croak, she was so damn old, but now as he sat stood here thinking about his gang, he found himself fearing the time when he would have to bury her beneath the ground. He sighed again, and thought about Kagome. She was perfect, everything he had ever wanted, but there was something nagging him. When, not If, Kaede died, would that mean that InuYasha would cease to be able to travel through the well to Kagome's time? He had thought deeply about it, and on the surface, the two events seemed to have nothing in common with each other. But he knew.

Very rarely did a Miko's spell continue to exist after the Miko that had cast it had died. InuYasha played with the beads around his neck, and wondered if Kagome would be able to recast the spell that would be undone after Kaede died. He and Kagome didn't visit Kagome's time very often, but they still did every once in a while. He had a bad feeling that his necklace was also connected to Kagome being able to travel through the well and reach her own time. Kagome was planning to go home for a few days, and Kaede wasn't looking too healthy. His mind wandered as he wondered if Kagome would be able to get back through the well if Kaede died. InuYasha shook his head, and wondered what had put him in such a worried mood. He knew that too.

There was something coming. 

InuYasha looked to the sky, and although it looked peaceful, with the sun shining, and the puffy white clouds drifting lazily across the sky, pushed along by the gentle cooling breezes that floated on the air. He knew otherwise. He didn't know why he knew, or how, but he knew. For two years, he had thought that his battle was over, but here was that feeling again, that feeling that something was going down, and it was going to happen soon. He turned his head as he heard someone approaching, and a light breeze carried Kagome's scent to his nose. He smiled softly at her, not telling her of his worries, lest she get troubled by them.

"Hi Kagome." InuYasha said, turning around. Kagome hugged him, and InuYasha found the world inside her embrace. She was his world, and he was willing to do anything for her.

"What are you doing way out here?" She asked, brushing her rebellious hair out of her face. InuYasha smiled, and carressed her cheek.

"Just thinking, babe, just thinking." He said. He noticed that his voice had long ago lost its rough edge, an edge produced by a broken heart and a long winded distrust of humans. Both his broken heart and the distrust were long gone, to be replaced by a heart filled with love for the girl in front of him, and a trust for certain humans that stretched to the edges of the earth. Kagome turned her chocolate brown eyes upon her loving hanyou and silently questioned herself why anybody would hate this boy in front of her. She smiled at that, and had to correct herself. He had proven his manhood two years ago, in the fight of his life. And proven his manhood to her many times after that, she thought, her mind going slightly dirty on her. She laughed at the thoughts swirling around inside her head, and leaned into him, kissing him on the lips. He was no longer a boy, but was a man. Her man. But he would always be her sexy boy, the one that she thought about at night. Not thinking about him killing demons, and fighting so hard to protect the ones he loved, but as the boy he was the first night they had done it. He was so nervous, and scared, and Kagome laughed again at the thought. He had needed more assurance than she had that night.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked. By the look on his face, she already knew. It wasn't an angry look, or a tired one that showed the stresses of his unmentionable age, but the look of wonderment and curiosity of a mortal who had witnessed an unnatural event. Not only had he witnessed it, he had lived it, fought against it for everything that he valued, his life, and the lives of his friends.

"Just thinking about that fight." He said slowly, softly, gazing at her. He loved how she could look up at him with such a cute look that he had trouble evading her questions. But the look in her eyes told him that she knew the answer long before she had asked. He smiled down at her. That was okay, she was always welcome to intrude on his thinking time, for he would rather talk to her then think about the past. He shook his head, and gripped her hand, walking her back to Kaede's village. He didn't know why he was so fixated on the past, and everything that happened in it. First it was Kikyo, even when the girl that loved him more than life itself was standing right in front of him. Kikyo was after him to take the jewel and turn human with it. Nothing else. For Kikyo, it was a win-win situation. She got rid of a demon she knew she couldn't kill without being guilty about it for a long time afterwards, thus corrupting the jewel, and she got rid of the jewel. It would have been absorbed inside his body, and that would have been the end of it. Kikyo could have returned to living a normal life, not always protecting the jewel, and she would have had her way. He shook his head, and wondered where she was. He didn't care about her anymore, but he sure wasn't going to wish pain and suffering upon her just because he was in love with another woman now. He wished that wherever she was, she was doing well. He sighed, and looked at Kagome.

"I'm glad your there with me through everything I face." He said softly, and Kagome smiled up at him, tightening her hold on his hand. By the way his face looked, she could tell that he was putting on his uncaring attitude, and blocking off his deeper emotions, for he wouldn't want to get teased by Miroku and Sango. Kagome knew that was the last compliment she would be getting from him until they were alone again, but that was okay. She aleady knew what he thought of her, although it didn't hurt to hear it every now and then. She squeezed his hand again, as they stepped into the village.

Shippou had grown a bit, and his fox-fire was something to be reckoned with, even InuYasha was careful now when it came to teasing the young fox demon. It was now that Shippou met them half-way to the hut they were sharing, a grave look on his face.

"Kaede-baba is sicker now." He said flatly, the reality of what might soon happen dawning on him. Kagome shook her head worriedly, and glanced at InuYasha, who shook his head also. Their thoughts were along the same lines; they knew what was happening.

"Please, Kagome, go to her." Shippou said softly. "Everyone knows she likes your company best, and right now, I think she needs you."

Kagome nodded at Shippou, and patted his head out of habit. Shippou didn't mind the touch, but he no longer got anything out of it. He understood that it was Kagome's way of showing affection, so he put up with it. InuYasha, Shippou, and Kagome walked slowly toward the cabin, but only Kagome entered, leaving Shippou to talk to InuYasha.

"Kaede, how are you?" Kagome asked, kneeling down next to the old woman. Kaede slowly turned her head, as she was lying on the floor, and squinted at Kagome.

"I'm doing fine, child." She said, with more strength in her voice than Kagome had expected.

"I'm doing fine, just fine, but everyone around here is convinced that I'm going to die any second now." She said. "I might be headed for the grave, but I'm not buried yet."

Kagome nodded. "How are you feeling today?"

Kaede placed a hand on her head.

"I'm feeling fine." She said. "I still haven't managed to get sick, what with this old body and all, and all the aches and pains have left this body, so I feel just fine." Kaede said. She peered at Kagome with her one good eye.

"Please, child, don't ye let InuYasha out of your sight for the next few days." Kaede said, drawing in a rattling breath. "Stay with him, and never leave his side, he's going to need you."

Kagome nodded, and was going to ask her to explain, when a knock at the side of the house made her think otherwise, as InuYasha pushed aside the rags covering the doorway.

Kagome looked up at her boy as he stared down at her. He silently held up Shippou, and his other hand, which was bleeding from two spots located close together. He wordlessly pointed at the snarling Shippou, and Kagome noticed that the marks appeared to be bite marks. And Shippou had a spot of blood on his chin. She took Shippou from InuYasha, and silently thanked him for keeping Shippou busy while she talked to Kaede. Kagome looked down at the apologetic fox demon in her arms, and asked him what had happened.

"Well, I waited for you to come out so you could play with me, but then I got bored. InuYasha told me to wait, and normally I don't mind listening to him, but today he used his old voice, the one he uses sometimes when he gets into fights, or when he's worried. He was rude to me and reached toward me to make me sit down, so I bit him." Shippou told the truth without hesitating. Kagome glared down at him.

"What have we said about biting?" She asked firmly.

Shippou wriggled out of her arms and stood in front of her with his tiny fists on his waist.

"Hey, it wasn't like I did it on purpose!" He exclaimed. "It just happened before I could think about what I was doing!"

InuYasha nodded. "Yeah, right, I believe that." He said, his voice laden with sarcasm. He swiftly grabbed Shippou by the tail again, and hoisted him up in front of his face. He hit the kitsune upside his head, and pretended to apologize.

"Aw, sorry Shippou, it happened before I knew what had happened."

Shippou glared at him, then abruptly, his facial expression changed. "Can you please put me down now, InuYasha?" He asked, his voice no longer angry and insulted.

InuYasha's eyes narrowed and he wondered what the kitsune was up to. He complied when he saw the look on Kagome's face though, setting the young fox demon down on the floor of the cabin.

Shippou promptly walked over to Kagome and hugged her. When he pulled away, Kagome could see no sign of any mischevious plans inside his head, and all was explained when Shippou spoke.

"Instead of fighting, I'm gonna be the mature one and back down." He explained. "I want to prove that I've grown up during these last few years."

Kagome grinned, and InuYasha growled.

"Wow, Shippou, great idea!" She said. She hugged Shippou, and winked at InuYasha over Shippou's shoulder, calming him down.

"I think thats a great idea, show us how mature you are." She said. Shippou nodded happily, then turned and ran by InuYasha, stopping at the door.

"Bye bye Kagome, I'm going to go play now!" He said, running out the door. Kagome giggled at him, and turned to InuYasha.

"Don't worry, InuYasha, you know how long that phase will last?" She asked. "About ten minutes, a day and a half if he's strong willed." She said. "Then he'll get bored."

InuYasha nodded, and flopped down on the floor, next to Kaede.

"How ya feeling, you old wench?" He asked, snorting indecisively as if he didn't care. Kaede sighed patiently, and told InuYasha that she was feeling fine.

InuYasha nodded, and rolled over, facing Kagome. He stared at her for a few minutes, neither smiling, not glaring, just looking at the one he loved. After a few minutes, he closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

Kagome smiled down at her sleeping lover, and silently said a prayer for whatever was coming his way. It was obvious that something was coming, but nobody was sure if it was something good, or something beyond evil, another Naraku, or something cataclyismic.

Kagome sighed, and laid down also. No one was asking her to make food or anything, so she decided to go to sleep. She was tired out from worrying about Kaede, and InuYasha, even though he insisted that he was okay and that she didn't need to worry about him. She sighed, and rolled over, to face InuYasha. She was surprised to see that his eyes were wide open and alert, staring at her. She smiled, and slid a little closer, kissing him on the nose. He bared his teeth in a grin, and kissed her on the lips, gently catching her bottom lip between his teeth, nibbling and pulling at it gently, before kissing her again. Kagome giggled, and kissed her cute dog boy back harder, sliding her hands over his chest and shoulders.

Suddenly, they heard a cough from behind them, and both InuYasha and Kagome sat up, worried about Kaede. Her coughing got harder, and when they looked at her, her face was bright red from the lack of oxygen. She was rubbing her chest, and Kagome ran up to her, patting her on the back, hoping that she would stop coughing.

"What's wrong, Kaede?!" She asked, worried that it might be her time. Between her coughing fits, Kaede expressed what was wrong.

"Getting--" Cough. "Too-" Cough, cough, gasp, wheeze. "Sexual!" Coughcough.

Kagome blushed, and realized that surely an old sick woman wouldn't want to see her and InuYasha kiss and carry on, so she apologized. They made sure that she was okay, and moved back to the middle of the cabin, sitting side by side. They leaned on each other, and were silent for a while, content with just feeling each others bodies next to them.

A while later Sango and Miroku walked back into the camp, each carrying a bag with various herbs, plants, and medicinal ingredients that were vital to keep an angry, impulsive, battle-hungry hanyou alive. Sango and Miroku dorpped their bags, and one by one inquired into Kaede's health. Kaede, now quite irritated by the ceaseless questions, finally snapped.

"For the love of all that is holy and pure, would you stop asking me how I am! I'm fine! I'm hardly going to die in the next few days, but ye all are convinced that I am!"

Now out of breath, she laid back down and preceded to catch her breath. Her heavy, labored breathing could be heard throughout the hut, and after a few minutes, she calmed down. Sango and Miroku retreated to the corner of the hut, and discussed on what should be done tomorrow. They agreed that the best course would be to continue hunting down Kouga, and try to convince him to give up his jewel shards. They were pretty much the only ones remaining, besides the one in Kohaku's back.

The night wore on, and everyone was getting sleepy, when suddenly, it happened. Everyone was rocked from their sleepy stupor into full wakefulness, by the largest earth shattering slam they had ever felt. It rocked the cabin that they were in, but the weird thing was, it seemed that the impact had happened very far away. The vibrations were felt, but the noise was heard as if it were leagues away, like the distant firing of a cannon. All eyes turned to InuYasha, the unofficial leader in times like this. But something was wrong with their leader. He was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. He was bent over, on his hands and knees, and was shaking uncontrollably. Everyone was immediately concerned. Kagome tentatively placed her hand on InuYasha's back, and timidly asked if he was alright.

InuYasha slowly looked up, and although he appeared to be scared, he wore an angry expression. He stood up, and gripped his sword tightly.

"I thought it was over!" He said angrily. "I thought I killed that thing two years ago!"

He stood up and motioned for everyone to stay behind. Nobody did, and they followed him out the door as he drew his sword, feet pounding against the earth in an angry rebellion against the monster that threatened to destroy his life all over again. He looked to the sky and saw that it was rapidly clouding over, blocking off the once prominent sun. InuYasha glanced behind him, and saw Miroku and Sango running behind him. For a second, his heart skipped a beat, and he wondered where Kagome was. He looked directly above him, and saw that Kagome was riding on Kirara. For a second, he was caught in indecision. He wanted to keep Kagome with him, so he would always know where she was, but part of him wanted her as far away from him and the fight as possible, just incase he couldn't protect her, like last time. He shook his head, and knew that he was stronger than ever before, and he wasn't about to send her away now. She was his source of strength, the only reason he fought so hard. And he would to anything to protect her.

He glared straight ahead as thunder slammed through his ears and lightning scarred the sky, rain torrenting down in sheets, soaking everything in seconds. InuYasha felt the dirt beneath his running feet turn slowly to mud, and he wondered what he would find as the source of the trembling earth. He glanced once more above him, to see Kagome glance down reassuringly down at him. He smiled up at her, before picking up the pace, eager to start a fight, now that he was excited.


	3. The dreams start

The Sickness 2 Ch. 3.

InuYasha kept a steady pace, running toward the immense aura that could be found directly ahead of them. He was aching to go faster, but Miroku and Sango were having trouble keeping up as it were, and it would be pointless to go faster. Sure they would get to the enemy faster, but half of his fighting team would be tired and out of breath. He slowed a bit, and looked back. They smiled their thanks at him, and he looked forward.

Suddenly, a certain scent reached his nose and InuYasha's heart skipped a beat. He gimaced, and willed himself to keep going. A few seconds later, a form apeared in the distance, becoming clearer as they ran toward it. Sesshomaru loomed out of the distance, walking silently toward them. InuYasha skidded to a stop, and Everyone came to a stop beside him. Kagome and Kirara landed just behind InuYasha. As Sesshomaru came closer, it was obvious that he was hurt. Very badly hurt. His remaining arm was hanging uselessly by his side, covered in blood. Blood was dripping off a slash into the mud, mixing with it and disappearing into the ground. The slash ran from his right cheek to his collar bone, and most of his white kimono was covered in blood, staining it dark red. His eyes were slightly glassy, and his movements jerky. His left leg seemed to have slightly less mobility than the other, and it dragged a bit when he walked. He stopped in front of InuYasha and stared at him, taking a few seconds to register who it was.

"InuYasha...turn around and leave." He commanded. InuYasha smirked. "Why should I? Just because you got your ass handed to you, means I don't get a chance to fight it? Afraid I might win, is that it, Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru turned his glassy gaze on InuYasha and managed a very angry glare, despite his condition. "Even though I am hurt, it does not mean that I can't kill you InuYasha." He said. "You can either die by me, or turn around and go home, but you are not seeing that demon." He said. InuYasha smirked again, and made the mistake of stepping forward. Quick as lightning, Sesshomaru threw his fist forward, connecting with InuYasha's forehead with a sickening crunch. InuYasha was knocked right out by the unexpected hit, and collapsed where he stood. Kagome gasped, and was about to kneel by InuYasha's side when Sesshomaru turned his cool gaze on her, no longer quite so glassy-eyed.

"Stay where you are wench!" He commanded. "Unlike your hanyou, I believe your intelligent enough to follow orders from someone stronger than you." Kagome froze, nodded, and sunk back onto Kirara's back. Sesshomaru picked up InuYasha's limp, wet body and laid it over Kirara's back.

"Go back to where ever you came from, and DON'T pursue this demon!" Sesshomaru said, a bit more force in his voice than was normal. Everyone nodded, still shocked that any demon could put Sesshomaru in that shape. They started walking back to the village they had been camping out at, their fighting spirit broken by the shape they had seen Sesshomaru in.

Back at the village, they had just laid InuYasha down on the cabin floor, when he awoke, cursing loudly.

"Dammit! What the hell happened!?" He yelled, looking around. Then he winced, his head in his hands, for the action sent sharp pains slicing through his head. He realized that he was still in his wet clothes, and he shrugged off his shirt, grumbling loudly. He laid it out near the fire, and adamantly refused to take anything else off, no matter how wet it was. The rain had stopped, and the sun had come out. The aura of the demon had vanished, but had not taken away the uneasy feelings of the people that travelled with InuYasha.

"How stong does a demon have to be to beat up Sesshomaru like that?" Sango asked Miroku, who merely shrugged. "Demons don't have to be really strong to do that kind of damage, Sango." He said. "Judging by the aura, it was very, very large. Sesshomaru could have been beaten by something merely because he couldn't kill all of it, you know?" He said. "Think of it this way, say your the demon, and an ant is Sesshomaru. Ants are capable of lifting over a hundred times their own weight, sort of like Sesshomaru's strength, so the analogy isn't completely wrong. Now, you lay down on the floor, and let the ant crawl over you as much as it wants, and the worst thing it could possibly do is bite you, which is annoying, but doesn't actually hurt." Miroku said. Everyone nodded. "Now, that ant could be there all day, but it's never going to kill you. On the other hand, what if you were to fight back? Not really fight, you see, but move around some, scratch at the places where the ant bit you, you might accidentally squash the ant." Miroku looked around. "Naturally the demon isn't going to let Sesshomaru attack without counter attacking, but it isn't strength alone that defeated Sesshomaru. By the size of the aura, it was just that Sesshomaru was too small to cause any significant wounds, and all the demon had to do was put its foot down in the wrong place and there goes Sesshomaru. Putting your foot down on the ground doesn't sound like a powerful attack, and it isn't. But when your a couple hundred times larger than your opponent, then strength is no matter. You putting your foot down, no matter how gently, is going to kill him." He said. "No, strength doesn't seem to be an issue, rather, I think the demon will be huge though."

Sango shook her head. "You really think that a demon that big could exist?" She asked. Miroku looked at her and shrugged. "If the aura and Sesshomaru's wounds are any indication, then I'd say yes." He said. Inwardly, InuYasha was growing uneasy. This demon sounded nothing like what he had fought two years ago, it sounded like a completely different being entirely. But, that could be good too, for that would mean that it was a normal demon, except for it's size. It was not connected in any way with the events of two years ago, and that was good.

Suddenly, Kagome spoke up.

"Hey Sango, remember that mock battle that you, Miroku, and InuYasha were having?" She asked. Sango nodded. "Well, remember how he grabbed your leg and threw you after you attempted to kick him?" She asked. A blushing Sango nodded, embarrassed at remembering her fall. Kagome grinned.

"I can teach you how to counter it." She said. Everyone was immediately interested. Did Kagome have some special fighting skills that she had told no one about?

They all followed her outside, and were told to wait there. Kagome ran back into the cabin for a few minutes, and came back out, changed into a new outfit. It was a pair of red shorts that came down to her knees and a red T-shirt, the color identical to InuYasha's Fire-rat robe. Everyone noticed this, but no one said a word. She hurriedly swept her hair back into a pony-tail and secured it with an elastic. Thus ready, she informed Sango that there were certain stretches that needed to be done. As they went through them, InuYasha and Miroku stared at what seemed to be a new form of seductive entertainment. Once finished, Kagome went through the motions leading up to the kick. Sango nodded.

"Yeah, and then I went like this." She said. She took a step forward, and raised her right leg about head height, a perfect kick to the face. Kagome nodded. "Perfect." She said. "That's exactly what I was hoping it would look like." She said. Then she turned and looked at the guys. "Before I show you guys this move, please don't ask me if I have any fighting skills or know martial arts, because I don't. What I'm going to show you is a trick, a move learned to entertain." She said. "Okay, Sango, do the kick again, but softer, because I'm going to grab your leg." She said. Sango nodded, and performed the kick. Kagome grabbed her leg, holding her kick and throwing her off balance. Sango wobbled on one foot for a second before Kagome dropped her foot.

"Okay, Sango, that's exactly what I want you to do to me, just grab my leg." She said. Sango nodded, doubtfully wondering if Kagome knew how to kick, or if she could get her leg up that high. But she did. With a swift kick, Kagome's leg was headed for Sango's face, and Sango reacted, grabbing the foot. Kagome immediately swung her arms backward, then forward, leaning back as she did so. With all the momentum, she backflipped, ripping her foot right out of Sango's grasp. Kagome spotted her landing, and landed, bending her knees slightly to absorb the impact. Amazed at the usefulness of such a move, she grinned.

"That was amazing Kagome, how did you do that?" She asked.

InuYasha couldn't help but grin. He nudged Miroku. "That's MY bitch!" He said proudly.

Kagome shook her head. "Well, theres two things that you need to hear first." She said. "One, that was the counter, not the counter attack. The actual counter attack is to do the actual backflip and kick the enemy in the face with your free foot as your rotating. Second, you need to learn how to backflip before you can do something like that." She said. Sango nodded. "Teach me." She said. Kagome nodded, and they spent the rest of the afternoon on the move, learning and perfecting it.

"Well, that was a well spent day." Commented Sango. She was proud of herself, she had learned the move in a day, and while she wasn't an expert in it, she saw teh usefulness of it, and was planning on using it a lot. InuYasha sighed, and set down his empty cup of instant ramen, reaching for Kagome's. She let him take it and he happily slurped it down.

"So, Lady Kagome, what art form was that move learned in?" Miroku asked. Kagome grinned. "Gymnastics." She said. Nobody knew what was, so she explained. After she did, they all had a better view of an art that didn't necessarily focus on fighting. Miroku leaned up against the wall, and closed his eyes, laying his staff down beside him. Sango too, tired from her training, laid down a few feet away from him, sighing. InuYasha, already leaning against the wall, set down the now empty cup of instant ramen, and closed his eyes, ready to be devoured by the blackness that announced peaceful sleep. Kagome moved a bit closer to him, and closed her eyes, ready to retire also. However, that peaceful sleep that InuYasha was looking for was never going to come. At least, not tonight...

_InuYasha ran through the rain toward the aura that was growing stronger by the second, threatening to overspill his senses and drive him insane. The demon seemed very powerful, and InuYasha felt two things. The first was a longing for that kind of power, and that was nothing new. That longing was always there, and he had long ceased paying attention to it. But sometimes...  
The other was utter disgust. There were three weak humans trailing behind him, as if they could actually do anything in this fight. He snorted to himself and told himself that if they died in this battle, then there went three of his most burdening problems. He crested the hill, and stopped, staring down at the valley stretching far below him. The valley stretched on for miles, seeming to have no end._

_And in the middle of the valley, was the hugest demon InuYasha had ever seen. It sent fear running through his body, and he could barely contain himself, could barely keep himself from shaking in fear. The demon was easily 20 times bigger than InuYasha, and he wondered how something so big had gone unnoticed. He shivered. Maybe it hadn't been noticed, because it had just been created. To kill him. He took a deep breath, picked up his sword, and started running down the hill toward the demon, unleashing his Wind Scar as many times as possible, to act as a first attack, and a buffer between him and the demon. He got off about four of them before the demon turned, and focused on him. InuYasha only had time to feel fear before a large clawed hand came swooping down toward him. InuYasha knew that there was no way he could dodge the hand, for he would have to run at top speed for at least 5 minutes before he could even think to make it past one of the claws. It was that big. InuYasha opened his mouth to scream, but was crushed violently beneath the demons claw._

InuYasha awoke, terrified, clutching his sword to him. He had the sense not to scream, and he was glad that he hadn't awoken anyone else. He looked around, and sighed as everyone else seemed to be still sleeping. He settled back, and felt the sweat coursing down his face, to tickle his collar bone.

'What the hell was that about?' He thought. Then real fear hit him. 'Another premonition?'


End file.
